In Another Life - Eren x Annie Fan Fiction
by roguepride
Summary: You took a part of me when you left. You took a part of my soul and left me on my own. Hear me out, Annie. Hear me out and tell me I haven't really lost you.


_So the first fic, For Eren received a few good reviews so here's another Eren x Annie for you. It's actually related to For Eren but it's only a short fiction and I don't intend to make it to a whole long story unless you really think I should do it. Anyway, I wrote this in Eren's point of view. Hope you enjoy this one!_

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How many days has it been?

How many weeks? Months?

Two? Three? I didn't even remember.

The flashback kept replaying in my mind, haunting me to my sleep every night. The feeling of embracing that lifeless body didn't fade away. The weak voice of hers. The short breathing. The weak heartbeat…

It drove me crazy.

I had tried everything to calm myself down but each time, each time I did it the memory would come back again. It frightened me. It saddened me. It depressed me. Because I never had to kill someone that I knew intentionally. Someone close to me. Someone dear.

Everyone tried to cheer me up. Even Jean, who had always been arguing with me. But it was useless. Every effort they did seemed hopeless. I was hopeless. I would wake up frantically from a nightmare at night, and it was always the same thing. The nightmare was always about me stabbing her and watching her die in my arms. Mikasa and Armin recently had been accompanying me almost everywhere to make sure I didn't do anything harmful. But sometimes they also had to leave me when they were called out. Like this time, I was left alone in meeting room. Commander Erwin and Captain Levi would give me some errands to keep myself busy and distracted. But the scene managed to slip inside my mind anytime it had a chance.

I was scared.

All I could remember was the blood on my hands, the limp body in my arms, the lifeless blue eyes, and the fading sound of her heartbeat. It felt hundredth times worse witnessing someone close to you died in your arms than seeing them killed in battlefield. Moreover, she died on your own blade.

I felt like I want to die.

They said it would go away soon, the nightmare. I just had to be patient and distract myself with other things. Apparently, 'soon' didn't seem to mean anything at all for this case. It should've at least faded a little by now. I should've at least been able to think normally for just a day. But no. None of them were right. None of those words had been proven true.

I'm stuck inside this nightmare forever.

I'm going crazy.

I'm going insane.

Insane. Insane. Insa—

"Eren."

Shocked, I darted my attention towards the man who just tapped my shoulder. Captain Levi was staring at me with one of his eyebrows raised, one hand holding his cup of tea. "What the hell are you doing?"

"Huh?" I asked back, not knowing what he was talking about. He pointed at the table in front of me where I rested my hands on and I was taken aback by what I saw. There were scratches on it, as if someone was trying to break it apart by scratching their nails on the wooden furniture. Then I looked at my fingers and realized they were bleeding a little, pain started to sting my skin. "Ah, I… I didn't realize it. I'm sorry…"

Captain Levi said nothing, but he moved to the spot next to me and sat on the chair, crossing his legs. "Thank goodness you didn't turn into a titan," he finally said. "That nightmare still continues?"

I went silent for a moment before nodding. "Yeah. The same one, every night."

"Is that so…" he muttered. "I used to have it too back when I was underground."

His reply caught my attention. "You did?"

"Yeah," he nodded, sipping his tea before continuing. "I killed a few people back then, intentionally. Some were thugs that tried to kill me, some were people I knew in the neighborhood, and some others might had shared a few drinks with me. Although they weren't that close to me, but they still died in my hands. Haunted me for quite a long while."

"How… how do you get over it?" I asked carefully.

He stared at me before answering. "I don't."

I gulped at his answer. "You… don't? So it's still—"

"Not quite like that," he scoffed. "I still think about it once in a while. Those memories would flash in my mind, I would have nightmares again… but I covered that up with the good memories or some excuses."

"Good memories? Excuses?" I asked, confused.

"Yeah," he nodded again. "I tried to think about what if I didn't kill them. If I hadn't killed those thugs, I would've died and they would kill more people. In another hand, to distract myself from the thoughts of killing those who had been my friends, I tried to remember the good memories I shared with them. The fun of being with them, stuff like that. Just to forget about that nightmare for a little while."

He paused for a while, sipping on his tea again. "Some of them… asked me to kill them. Just like Annie."

A sharp pain stabbed my chest, bringing back the bloody scene into my mind again. I began pulling my hair, trying so hard to erase it off.

"Brat, don't do that," Captain Levi said again, his voice sounded annoyed. I snapped back to reality and stopped pulling my hair as I heard him sighing heavily. "If anything, you should know that she was the one who wanted it."

My chest ached again. "…And I did it without hesitation. I could've thought about a way to convince her not to do it. I could've tried to tell her that she'll be safe with me. I could've tried to save her. I could've—"

A sharp pain stung my right cheek all of a sudden. I was too shocked to react, until the pain started to spread and I rubbed it while grimacing. Captain Levi had stood from his chair, his fist clenched, and his face looked more annoyed than usual. He… punched me?

"Cut that crap, shitty brat," he said in a dangerous tone. "That girl knew what she was doing. She wanted to pay for her sins and betrayal. She wanted to end her misery, and she wanted to end your pain. You just did a fucking good thing for her by freeing her. You fulfilled her last wish, and she died smiling in your arms. How the fuck can you not understand that?"

I couldn't say anything or fight him back. Every single words he said stung me like hundreds of needles. But after all those pain, I slowly processed them one by one and realized that what he said was right. I was too blinded by my nightmares to actually face the truth. Annie didn't die because of me. She was the one who wished for me to do it to pay for her sins. To free her soul from the burden of a hundred lives she stole.

She died… smiling… in relief…

"Ah…" was all I could say when the sudden rush of emotion built up inside of me. My shoulders felt a little lighter, but my chest felt heavier. Not because I was still thinking of the nightmare or the guilt of her blood on my blade. It was a pure loss. A broken feeling that I had been holding back up until now. Along with that feeling, tears just uncontrollably came out, dripping to my shirt. It wouldn't stop even if I tried to. "I'm… sorry…"

It wasn't an apology for killing her. It was an apology for blaming myself over and over again. She had told me not to blame myself but I still did. She had told me not to mourn but I still did. I broke every promises she asked me in the letter. That, was what the apology for.

"Brat," Captain Levi sighed, his hand patting my back. "Try to think of your good memories with her. Make sure that it will be your last memory of her, not that depressing one."

"Yes… sir," I managed to say with a shaky voice.

I thought about her smile.

I thought about her sarcastic remarks.

I thought about her eyes.

I thought about the last time I talked to her before the war started. In a chilly night, the training field, the starry sky.

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" _Hey, Annie. Do you believe in reincarnation?" I asked the blond girl who was sitting on the fence, staring at the sky._

" _What's that?" she asked back, swinging her feet back and forth._

 _I hopped onto the fence and sat next to her, looking up at the black sky like she did. "I heard from people that if we were good people in this life, we might have a chance to live again in the future as different people. But our soul would still be connected so that we might have a few flashback about the present us."_

" _Sounds like a myth to me," she scoffed, rubbing her hands together. "But if it does exist, then maybe I wouldn't have a chance."_

" _Huh? Why are you so pessimistic? You're a good person, Annie."_

" _Yeah, I don't think so," she paused for a while before continuing. "I don't think I'm a good person at all."_

" _Well, maybe you don't look like one. But I'm sure deep down you are. I mean, why would you bother teaching me how to fight or hang around with me if you're such a terrible one?"_

 _She stared at me as if I just said something stupid, but then she stifled a small laugh. "You are an idiot, Eren Jaeger. A good idiot."_

" _The hell…" I pursed my lips. "Don't you think it will be nice if all of us can see each other again in the future? Don't you want us to meet again after all of these shitty titan war?"_

 _Annie went silent for a moment, eyes never leaving the sky as if she was trying to figure out the universe or something. But then she turned her attention at me, blue eyes lit up in amusement. The corner of her lips turned upwards and she showed me an expression that I had never expected._

" _Yeah…" she said with a sad smile. "It would be nice if we can see each other again."_

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Just recalling that memory saddened me even more. Only now I understood why she thought of herself as a bad person. Only now I understood why she looked sad while smiling at me. She knew it would happen sooner or later. She knew she had to leave everything behind and follow her orders. She knew she would be betraying me, making me hate her.

Yet that night I felt like she was actually hoping for that reincarnation theory to be true. That if she was good enough, she'd meet us again. Was that really what she was hoping for?

"Brat, you should stop crying by now. Everybody's about to go to sleep and your sobbing is way too loud," Captain Levi said suddenly, annoyed again.

"Sorry…" I muttered, wiping my tears away and tried hard to control myself. I took a few breaths to calm down. Took me quite a while until I finally regained control. I nodded at Captain to show him that I was done, and he started walking out of the room as I followed him behind. I spared a glance at my back once again, feeling as if there was another presence in that room. My chest suddenly felt a little lighter, like someone had just lifted me up, and my mind recalled the times I saw Annie smiling at me.

"It was you…" I whispered. But of course, there was no answer. I smiled to myself, reaching into my pocket and took out a ring. It was hers. The only thing I could keep in her memoriam. Commander Erwin gave it to me when they brought her back inside the walls, telling me to treasure it. I had been carrying it everywhere since then.

"…I'll see you again, Annie."

In another world, I will.

"Wait for me."

And I shut the door behind me.

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 **Centuries later, 2015**

"Ah, shit. I forgot to buy Lena's birthday present!" I almost yelled out loud, realizing what I had forgotten this morning. Jean jumped in surprise, startled by my loud voice.

"What the hell, Eren? We're in public!" he scolded me, slapping the back of my head. "I'm gonna punch you if you do that again!"

"That wasn't necessary!" I growled at him. "Whatever. Now you have to accompany me to buy Lena's present or she will kill me!"

"The hell? I ain't going to accompany you searching for present for your cousin all day!"

"It's not all day, Jean. I already know what she wants," I rolled my eyes, walking towards a different direction to buy Lena's birthday present.

"Eh, where are you going? Oi, wait up!" he caught up to me as I made my way towards a music store right across the street. If it's a present, then the only thing Lena wanted would be the new The Script album. She was a big fan, just like me, and I didn't have enough money to buy her a concert ticket so I guess this would do.

The music store wasn't that big, but the atmosphere was nice. And what a weird coincidence, The Script's song was playing when I entered. I walked up to the store keeper for information while Jean wandered off to check out some albums he wanted. It would be easier if I can just find this album straight without having to waste my time searching.

"Excuse me, do you—"the store keeper looked up from her notes and her icy blue eyes met mine. Her lips parted a little, as if she was recalling something. And so did I.

It felt like I had just recalled something really important but I couldn't clearly remember what it was. It was followed by an ache on my chest and a sudden rush of emotion in my veins. It felt like I knew this girl very well. I knew her very well and I felt like she was someone important to me. Someone…very, important.

"Um… yes?" she asked, snapping me back to reality.

"Ah, sorry. Err…" I narrowed my eyes at her to check if I had forgotten her somewhere. Have I really met this girl before? "I was looking for The Script's new album and heard the music was playing, so…"

"Oh, right this way," she walked around the counter and led me to the corner of the store, biting her nails in a nervous state. She took one of the albums from the rack and gave it to me, almost shoving it to my hands as I noticed that they were a bit shaking.

I looked up from the album to her, and she darted her attention away. "Have we… met somewhere?" I dared to ask.

Took a while for her to finally look back at me and answered. "I don't know. I don't think so, but… ah, no. You might think I'm weird."

"Try me," I told her, curious.

She stared at me again, eyes narrowing while examining my face carefully. "I… I have a feeling we've met somewhere," she said. "When I saw you I just got this shaky, I don't even know why. See my hands? They're trembling."

"Um…" I ran my hand through my hair, suddenly feeling nervous. "Actually, I felt the same."

"Huh?"

"Yeah, I suddenly… felt like, sorry, like I wanted to hug you or something."

She blinked a few times. "Oh, um… okay. That… sure is weird."

"Ye-yeah…" I chuckled nervously.

 _Annie_.

"Sorry?" I asked. She raised one eyebrow at me in confusion. "What?"

"No, I thought you said something?" I said again.

She shook her head in response. "No, I didn't."

 _Annie._

Annie? Who's Annie? This girl? How did I even know her name?

I glanced at the girl and she was staring at me blankly. In that short time I took her appearance into my mind and once again I felt an ache in my chest. Her blue eyes, her blond hair that pinned to the back, and her expression seemed so familiar to me. It felt like I had known her for years, not only a few minutes ago.

"Is… your name Annie?" I asked carefully.

She looked back at me and her lips parted a little. She looked taken aback for a while but then her forefinger pointed at me. "…and you're… Eren?"

This time, I was the one who got surprised. She knew my name as well. Well, this is getting very, very weird.

"Hey, Eren! I left you for a minute and you're already flirting with the store keeper? How bold," Jean suddenly appeared from my back and put a hand around my shoulder. "Sorry for his inappropriate behavior, Ms. Storekeeper. I'll take him away now."

"Ah, hey wait!" I protested at Jean, looking at the girl as she looked like she was trying to hold back the urge to say something.

"Go pay the album because we need to get moving, Eren. I don't want to get my ass kicked by Marco if we show up late for our part time work!" Jean hissed, dragging me to the cashier. I groaned at him and quickly pulled out my wallet to pay for the album. The cashier chuckled at how Jean was practically head-locking me while I was paying, then he thanked the cashier and dragged me out of the store.

"Hey! HEY!" I shouted to the blond girl. She looked at me through the window, placing one hand on it as she showed a hopeful expression. "I'LL COME BY AGAIN!"

I pointed at her. "I'LL SEE YOU TOMORROW!" I shouted at her and she let out a smile. She walked out of the store as I got further and further away from her.

"See you tomorrow, Eren!" she yelled, waving at me.

I smiled widely at her and waved back. "See you tomorrow, Annie!"

And then, I gave up on being dragged away by Jean, getting even further away from the blond girl who was standing in front of the music store. She stood there for a few more seconds before I saw her turning around and went back inside the store. I slapped the back of Jean's head for what he had done to me.

However, I left the place with a wide smile.

I knew for sure that I would be coming to that music store often starting tomorrow.

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" _Hey, Eren…"_

" _Annie?"_

" _We meet again…"_

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 _And that's it! Thank you so much for reading until the end! Please review my work and give me your honest opinion about the story so that I can improve my writing skill. I hope you enjoyed it! x_


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